Tori Gomes fired a three-hitter and Coyle and Cassidy opened its softball season by defeating Somerset Berkley Regional 6-1 on cold Friday afternoon at the Ashton Complex.

Capitalizing on a pair of SB errors, CC significantly extended a 2-1 lead by scoring four runs on just one hit in the fifth inning.

While Somerset Berkley (0-0) finished with four errors, CC made none. And it wasn’t just a collection of routine plays.

In the third inning, and CC up 2-0, the Warriors played gold glove.

Shortstop Brit Perdiago had six assists.

With one out, SB starting pitcher Caitlyn Murphy bombed a Gomes pitch to deep center. What looked to be at least a double turned into an out as center fielder Steph Skiba, on the dead run and arm extended, made the catch.

Danielle Silva followed with sizzling ground ball which third baseman Courtney Gouveia snagged for the throw out.

Coyle and Cassidy out-hit Somerset Berkley 8-3. The warriors’ last four runs were unearned.

“We had some jitters out there, facing live pitching.” CC coach Russ Hunt said. “Overall we played some good, sound defense. We executed when we had to and we were able to get the job done.”

In her varsity pitching debut, Gomes put that defense to good use. SB struck out only three times.

Gomes walked two, and held SB hitless in retiring 11 of the last 12 batters.

Though out-scored by a combined 18-1 over its first two games, Somerset Berkley at least cannot be rightly accused of piecing together an cupcake early schedule. The Raiders opened against Case.

The Somerset Berkley run came in the fourth inning. Speedy Cassie Graca led with an infield hit and easily scored when MacKenzie Ferreira (2-for-3) ripped a double into the left-field corner.

CC leadoff batter Gouveia was 2-for-4 with a two-out, two-run single in then fifth inning. Krissy Caporelli was 2-for-5 and Korie McDonald 2-for-4 with an RBI single in the third inning.

Lauren Towlle had knocked in the game’s first run with a second-inning fielder’s choice.

Murphy pitched the first four-plus innings for SB, leaving after hitting the leadoff batter in the fifth. Sarah Poor finished, stranding five runners in her three innings.